MANILA, Philippines (4th UPDATE) - Nine more hostages, eight of them women, were released Friday by a tribal armed group in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur province.

The group, led by former militiaman Ondo Perez, initially released 3 women identified as Fimpiana Avenido, Lita Fernandez and Zenaida Maglasang at past 6 a.m.

Perez's group released 6 more hostages at around 1 p.m. after negotiations with a local crisis management team led by provincial social welfare officer Josefina Bajade.

The 6 hostages were identified as Lilia Caube, Benita Dolorito, Eloisa Abala, Merly Sanchez, Mary Jane Goden, and Felix Lacre.

Police said that as of 3 p.m., Perez's group was still holding 48 people captive in a mountainous area in Sitio Maitum, Barangay San Martin.

Among the remaining hostages were a teacher identified as Josapher Bautista, and 2 foresters of Casilayan Softwood Development Corporation, one of them identified as Bebot Balansag.

An earlier radio dzMM report said Bajade's team brought along with them a daughter and the father of Perez, who led at least 14 other armed men abduct at least 125 civilians on Thursday morning.

Bajade expressed hope that the involvement of Perez's daughter and father in the negotiations would convince the abductors to release more captives.

Senior Superintendent Nestor Fajura, Caraga regional police's operations chief, said negotiations were halted late Thursday night.

Fajura said negotiators left with an assurance from the hostage-takers that their captives will not be harmed.

Perez's group on Thursday morning released 18 hostages, including 17 children and an elderly woman.

"We believe that they (hostages) will not be harmed because they personally know the hostage-takers. Some of them are even relatives of the hostage-takers," he said.

He added that members of the local crisis management committee left some food for the hostage-takers and their captives before halting the negotiations.

Chief Superintendent Lino Calingasan, regional police chief, meanwhile, insisted that police will not drop the multiple murder charges against Perez.

"Ang warrant of arrest po ay mananatili (We will still serve the warrant of arrest)," the regional police chief told ABS-CBN's Umagang Kay Ganda.

The dropping of the murder charges was one of the demands of Perez's group in exchange for the release of the hostages.

The other demands of the group were: the presence of journalists during negotiations, the halt of police and military operations against them, and the surrender or arrest of Jun Tubay, leader of another group allegedly engaged in a clan war with the hostage-takers.

Calingasan said the multiple murder charges were filed against Perez for allegedly killing members of the Tubay family early this year. Perez and the Tubay family are residents of Prosperidad town.

Fajura said Thursday Perez’s group took the civilians hostage to prevent a police team from serving a warrant of arrest against Perez.

ABS-CBN correspondent Jeff Canoy said that according to local officials, Perez's group gathered all residents of Sitio Maitum at the barangay session hall around 6 a.m. Thursday and claimed that they were going to make an important announcement.

As soon as the people gathered, local officials said Perez and his armed companions announced that they were taking all of them hostage.

Calingasan said Perez's group is armed with 9 M16 and M14 rifles.

Police, military teams ready to move in

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, meanwhile, told reporters in Malacañang that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ordered the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to put teams on standby in case there's a need to conduct rescue operations.

"Handang handa na po ang ating armed forces at kapulisan. They are ready to move in anytime," Remonde said.

While the situation in Agusan del Sur remains manageable, Remonde said Malacañang will leave the negotiations with the local crisis management committee.

He said Mrs. Arroyo has asked the negotiating team to "exhaust all possible negotiations" with the armed tribal group.

The military, meanwhile, said there was no need to put Agusan del Sur under a state of martial law. It said the situation in the province does not constitute a rebellion, unlike in Maguindanao province.

Martial law was imposed in some parts of Maguindanao after the massacre of 57 innocent civilians last November 23 in an election-related violent incident. -- Reports from Jon Ibañez, radio dzMM and Jeff Canoy, ABS-CBN News